WASHINGTON - September 23 - Noted actors Samuel L. Jackson, Angela Bassett, Blair Underwood, Alfre Woodard, Danny Glover, Vanessa Williams and Malcolm-Jamal Warner have lent their voices to urge their fellow African Americans to go to the polls and vote on November 2nd. The artists are featured in a series of radio ads produced by Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA) and People For the American Way Foundation (PFAWF), which will air around the country next month on radio stations targeted to African-American listeners.

The ads educate listeners about past attempts to intimidate or suppress minority voters, and urge people to call the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE, to access legal help, if they encounter any problems registering and voting. Election Protection is providing the toll-free Hotline from now through Election Day. The coalition is also deploying thousands of trained volunteer lawyers, law students and poll monitors to precincts around the country in advance of the election, concentrating on areas, which have large minority populations and a history of voter suppression and disenfranchisement. The volunteers will provide free, on-the-spot legal assistance for voters who need information, or who believe they have been the victims of attempted fraud or intimidation.

To hear the PSAs, visit www.electionprotection2004.org/psas.htm

Samuel L. Jackson issued a statement saying, “…Not so long ago, many people struggled, and some gave their lives, to ensure that every adult American has the freedom to cast a ballot….When a person is prevented from voting or his or her vote is not counted, the very fabric of our democracy is weakened…I ask every person of conscience to join me in calling for the protection of the voting rights of all our fellow citizens.”

“Four years ago, more than four million voters nationwide were disenfranchised—deprived of their right to vote. Many of those voters were African-Americans,” said Ralph G. Neas, PFAWF president. “Nobody wants to see a repeat of the 2000 elections. These artists have been tremendously generous with their time and talents, helping us reach out to voters with a message of strength and empowerment.”

”Artists for a New South Africa believes passionately that voting is the most essential human right and the cornerstone of every democracy,” said Sharon Gelman, ANSA’s executive director. “Our organization was founded in 1989 to ensure that every South African could cast a ballot. We will not stand back and watch as Americans are denied that right. We are committed to supporting Election Protection efforts to educate communities about the voting process and defend citizens whose voting rights are threatened.”

The Election Protection Coalition comprises more than 60 national partners, including PFAWF, ANSA, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, the NAACP, the Voter Protection Project of America’s Families United, the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, the AFL-CIO, the Advancement Project, Common Cause, Working Assets, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the National Council of La Raza, the NAACP National Voter Fund, and the League of Women Voters.

Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA) is a nonprofit organization working in the U.S. and South Africa to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic, protect voting rights, advance civil rights and democracy, and educate and empower youth. For more information, visit www.ansafrica.org.

The radio ads were co-produced by Evolution Film & Tape, Inc. with original music by DJ James “Fat Jack” Clark, a Los Angeles hip-hop composer whose music can be heard at www.battleaxerecords.com/fatjack. The ads were recorded at Hum Studios and Woodholly Studios in Los Angeles, which donated their services to the project.

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